Friday, September 3, 2010

Bad Mommy

Once upon a time there was a mommy who had three little cowboys. On a beautiful fall day, the mommy's Baby cowboy had a birthday! He turned four years old. He was very strong, very smart, and very, very special. The mommy knew that her smallest cowboy would need shots to keep him healthy and strong, but it was cold and flu season and she wanted to protect him from the germs in the doctor's office. The mommy chose instead to keep him at home and make huge leaf piles for them to jump in.

Fall turned to winter, winter to spring, and spring to summer. At the end of the summer, the mommy received an e-mail that said, in a nutshell, "We are so glad you have enrolled your cute little cowboy in our preschool. Unfortunately, his immunization records are incomplete and he will not be allowed in the doors if you don't take care of it asap."

The mommy knew exactly what to do: she panicked. Then she made a panicky phone call to the pediatrician's office and made an appointment for very early the next morning.

The mommy took her little cowboy to see the doctor . The doctor was pleased with how much he had grown since his last visit and said that he was very healthy and smart. Then it was time for the shots. The mommy laid down on top of her Baby while two nurses gave him four shots in his little legs. While she felt grateful that he would not get polio or chicken pox later in life, she looked into his tear-filled eyes and felt her heart hurt.

The mommy also felt very guilty about taking her Baby cowboy for his four-year-old well check just 69 days short of his 5th birthday. To assuage her guilt, she and the small cowboy shared breakfast at the local donut shop before they dropped the updated shot records off at the preschool office.